This Whole Rhapsody
by backinthebox
Summary: "The future of the Barden Bellas all resting on the shoulders of Chloe Beale and her ragtag team of Bellas." Before and after Worlds.
1. Chapter 1

Yay Worlds. ( _Fallen Leaves_ 'verse-style.)

References: I hope you all remember who Laura and Alice are (see: Mixing the Bitter With the Sweet). And, oh, my dear sweet Anna Camp and that behind-the-scenes video.

.

* * *

It's cool. She can do this. They can do this. She'd graduated, hadn't she? A professional record producer had heard their song and had deemed it acceptable. And there was nothing in the rule book that said what they planned to do was against the rules.

And Beca had seemed fine, when she'd last seen the other girl, and if anyone had any reason to share her pre-performance freaking out - as Beca had been low-key doing for the past few months - it would be Beca. Instead, Beca had been in conversation with Emily and her mom, showing none of the nerves that had hounded their entire group of Barden Bellas since the previous summer, at that disastrous Kennedy Center performance.

In fact, all the other Bellas seemed to be handling their nerves well: they were excited, and definitely nervous, but everyone had agreed that no matter the outcome of Worlds, they would be fine.

So why the hell couldn't she catch her breath?

"Freaking out?"

So not the time.

Chloe closed her eyes, and wished Alice away.

"The future of the Barden Bellas all resting on the shoulders of Chloe Beale and her ragtag team of Barden Bellas." Alice continued, sidling up to Chloe, joining her at the edge of the tent that served as their green room, and glanced out at the view of the crowd. The former Bellas team captain, who had been the leader during Chloe's third year in college, feigned nonchalance as she observed, "So many people, too. Larger than Lincoln _or_ Kennedy Center. Wonder what the world's gonna say if you screw it up."

"I won't." Damn it, voice, why wobble?

"You better not." Alice stepped in front of Chloe and grabbed her shoulders, forcing Chloe to look her in the eye. "I didn't fly all the way to Denmark to watch you humiliate yourself. I _win_ , Chloe, and you and Aubrey screwed that up for me once, you _do not_ get to do that to me again. Do you understand?"

Chloe stared at her, dumbfounded. " _That's_ your motivational speech?"

"We're winning this, and you better make sure your friends understand that." Alice hissed.

"Alice, leave her alone."

Both Chloe and Alice quickly turned to find two blondes behind them. One was Chloe's best friend. The other, the one who had spoken, was Alice's worst nightmare.

"Laura. Didn't know you were coming." Alice said quickly, immediately releasing Chloe, her eyes darting from one blonde to the other, then away.

"Funny enough, would you believe I was in the neighborhood?" Laura, the Barden Bellas team captain when Aubrey and Chloe were freshmen and who considered Aubrey like a surrogate younger sister, smiled pleasantly at Alice. She turned to grace a smile at Chloe. "It's nice to see you again, Chloe."

"Hi, Laura." Chloe smiled back. "What neighborhood would that be?"

"Sweden." Laura answered.

"Steven works in Lund." Aubrey explained to Chloe, referring to Laura's husband and then-boyfriend back during her days at Barden University.

"When Aubrey told me about Worlds, I realized I didn't really have an excuse to miss this." Laura continued. She smiled guilelessly at Alice, genuinely happy to see so many of her friends – even Alice –while also knowing just how discomfited the woman probably was. "And see all my Bellas again."

"Did she." Alice's polite statement was said through grit teeth at Aubrey.

Chloe watched the exchange of forced pleasantries, intrigued. She knew the two of them had their differences: Alice had been a forceful sophomore when Laura had been team captain, and had thought that Laura's kindness and emphasis on sisterhood and camaraderie was a hindrance to achieving ICCA victory. Laura, for her part, being a third-generation Bella Legacy, only marginally cared about ICCA glory, since her own grandmother had been a Bella before female a cappella groups could compete at the collegiate level. It was weird to realize that they had all since graduated from Barden University, and Laura, Alice and Aubrey were all professional women in their own right, but their dynamics – Alice scared of Laura and derisive of Aubrey, Laura protective of Aubrey and Chloe, and Aubrey deferring to both older women – were almost all still the same.

"You know what?" Laura let go of her hold on Aubrey's arm, and hooked her arm with Alice's, not giving the dark-haired girl an escape. "I'm sure Chloe has some last-minute instructions for Aubrey. Come on and introduce me to people."

Chloe watched as Laura steered Alice away from her and Aubrey, and turned to her best friend. "You sneak. Did you know she was coming?"

"She said she'd try." Aubrey replied. "Sorry Alice got to you and we didn't get here sooner."

Chloe waved her apology off. "She didn't get to me."

Aubrey gave her a scrutinizing once-over. "You're hyperventilating."

"What? No." Chloe scoffed, making her shortness of breath even more evident. "My breath is always this short and shallow and oh my God I can't breathe." She clutched the side of the tent, her knuckles quickly turning white with the ferocity of her grip.

Aubrey shook her head, reaching over to ease Chloe's grip on the tent and leading her outside, away from the Bellas, and to the side of the tent that didn't have a view of the crowd. "Chloe."

"This is too big. I can't…" Chloe shook her head. "The trick's baby steps, right? This isn't a baby step. This is a huge step. Not just one, even. Two. I can't graduate and win Worlds at the same time, the odds are totally not in my favor."

Aubrey chuckled. "You have like two dozen Bellas' worth of an army backing you up. I'd say the odds are pretty good." She paused. "You have a _Bellarmy_."

"Bellarmy." Chloe scoffed as she gave Aubrey a wary look. "It's possible you got cheesier over time. And how are you the calm one between us now?"

Aubrey shrugged. "Stacie would say awesome sex. I'm not gonna argue."

Chloe frowned, and then sighed, forlorn. "Awww. I miss sex." She really did. Carrying a torch for someone so close but she couldn't have had greatly hindered her sexual activities, that was for sure. And the pressure and stress of the past few months, coupled with having to face the fact that she no longer had a good enough reason to stay at Barden much longer, had made sex fall on her list of priorities.

"I'm just going to point out that it's the World Championships of A cappella," Aubrey reminded. "You probably won't lack for people who'd like to sing duets with you in showers."

Chloe made a face at her. "Funny."

"Just get through this performance and we'll find you someone." Aubrey suggested. "Worst case, we'll drive down to Amsterdam or Germany and find you someone who'll live up to their sexually-satisfied country ranking."

Chloe gave her a curious look.

"I'm dating Stacie Conrad." Aubrey reminded, as if that explained why she could name two countries that ranked highly in an international survey of sexual satisfaction off the top of her head. And it probably did.

Chloe whined. "How are you the one who freely talks about sex between us now?"

Aubrey laughed. "Have you _met_ my girlfriend?"

"Ooh!" Chloe perked up, adequately distracted. "Has Laura met Stacie? Has the fairy princess met her precious baby unicorn's sinnamon roll?"

"You're mixing metaphors and internet memes now." Aubrey noted. She frowned. "Not to mention greatly confusing me. Am I the unicorn in that sentence?"

"Shut up, you know you are. Have they met?" Chloe pressed.

Aubrey shook her head. "Laura came straight here and I haven't seen Stacie since you left the hotel."

"Oh, I want to be there!" Chloe exclaimed. "I want to see that magic happen."

Aubrey pursed her lips. "What do you think is going to happen?"

"Are you kidding? They're going to talk about how cute you are and how smart and pretty Aubrey is." Chloe grinned. "And you're gonna have to sit there and listen to all of it." She paused, considering. "If they start an Aubrey Posen fan club, who do you think would be president?"

Aubrey gave her a measuring look, only partially out of concern. "Did that hyperventilation attack cause a lack of oxygen in your brain?"

"Don't be mean!" Chloe shoved her.

"That's not mean, that's an actual show of concern!" Aubrey protested.

"Chloe, stop attacking my girlfriend." Stacie told Chloe, approaching the two of them. She grinned at Aubrey. "Hey, you."

Aubrey grinned back, sufficiently distracted from attempting to reassure Chloe, and welcomed Stacie with a kiss as the taller girl stepped closer and eased into Aubrey's personal space.

Stacie smiled into their kiss. "This doesn't count as our first trip to Europe, by the way."

"The state of our hotel bed would like to differ." Aubrey reminded.

Stacie chuckled, pecking Aubrey's lips again. "What can I say? Sightseeing turns me on."

"How is _Aubrey_ the one getting regular sex?" Chloe complained, interrupting them.

Stacie glanced questioningly at Aubrey, who rolled her eyes and shook her head, dissuading Stacie from picking up Chloe's thread of conversation. Stacie nodded slightly, and jerked her head towards the Bellas' tent. "Did you see the Bellarmy in there?"

"Oh my God, the corruption goes both ways." Chloe groaned.

"Like us!" Stacie quipped, earning her mutual groans. "What? That was funny. And it was right there for that joke. What's wrong with you two?"

Aubrey opened her mouth to explain Chloe's nervousness, but was beaten to it by a question.

"Can I join your Aubrey fan club?" Chloe asked Stacie.

Stacie paused, her brow wrinkling in confusion, and Aubrey didn't help much by shaking her head. "Um… okay…?" She gave the two of them a confused look, but then shook her head and focused on why she had sought them out. "Chloe, we're due backstage in fifteen." She turned to Aubrey. "You got this?"

Aubrey looked confused. "Got… what?"

"The Bella alumnae." Stacie reminded.

"The what?" Aubrey questioned, confused. "Why would I-?"

"Didn't Beca tell you?" Chloe asked. "You're in charge of the alumnae."

"I'm what now?" Aubrey asked. She shook her head. "Why wasn't I aware of this before right now?"

"Just get through this performance, Aubrey." Chloe mocked, earning herself a glare from the blonde.

"Get ready." Stacie said, pulling out Aubrey's Bella scarf from the back pocket of Aubrey's jeans, and took Aubrey's arm.

"What—" Aubrey pulled her hand back.

"You have to wear the scarf, Aubrey." Chloe reminded. She lifted her arm to show her own scarf around her wrist. Stacie also lifted her hand to show the same.

"That's not happening." Aubrey told them flatly, placing the scarf around her neck. She ignored the weary eye rolls from the women with her.

"Fine, be a nerd." Chloe said, turning towards the tent.

Aubrey rolled her eyes after her, and turned to follow Chloe into the tent, but was held back by Stacie. She looked up questioningly at her girlfriend.

"We can win this, right?" Stacie asked.

Aubrey smiled at her, and gave her a quick kiss of reassurance. "We have the blood of the founding Bellas on our side, and Beca might actually have a future in music; of course we can. We can, and we _will_."

Stacie looked rightfully confused, but she followed Aubrey back into the tent for final words before Bellas past and present parted ways before their performance. They parted ways just inside the tent, but Aubrey was intercepted as she was heading to the group of alumni when Chloe emerged out of nowhere and caught her arm. "Aubrey."

Aubrey turned, and found herself caught in a tight hug from Chloe. Gently, she wrapped her arms around Chloe and returned the hug. "You OK?"

Chloe nodded into her shoulder. "One last performance for us, right?"

"Actually—"

Chloe squeezed Aubrey, before letting her go. She smiled at her best friend. "Chaubrey forever."

Aubrey forced a smile, opting for the moment not to correct Chloe's fatalistic air. "You and me."

Chloe grinned, and ran off to join the current Bellas as they left the tent to head backstage.

Laura came up to Aubrey, sidling up beside her as they watched the current Bellas cheer each other on, a far cry from the more demure countenance of Bellas past. "Chloe really failed Russian Lit three times?"

"She really did."

"On purpose?"

"Yes."

"Hot prof?"

"Hardly."

Laura pursed her lips thoughtfully. "You gonna tell me the story behind that?"

"Probably not."

"You and the tall drink of water you came in with?"

"If I'm drunk enough."

"If they win this, I'll buy you a round." Laura told her.

Aubrey laughed. "If we win this, I'll buy _you_ a round."

"Deal." Laura glanced at Aubrey, and smiled, tugging at Aubrey's scarf. "Chloe never learned to do this knot properly, did she?"

Aubrey laughed, because she loved Chloe, dearly, but it really should have been a sign that Chloe would be the point of transition between the old, traditional Barden Bellas and the new, inventive group, when Chloe continually failed to learn how to tie the scarf in its traditional manner properly.

Stacie turned when she heard Aubrey's laugh, and frowned when she saw her girlfriend with another blonde, someone who hadn't been at rehearsals back in the US, the newcomer standing too close to Aubrey to her liking. "The hell-?"

"Stacie." Beca called for her attention.

Stacie shot another glance towards the Bellas tent before turning her attention to her team, who all stood in the wings watching DSM's performance.

Back in the tent, Aubrey stood with Laura, the two of them listening to the speakers that broadcast the performance onstage, and Aubrey wondered if her friends felt the same trepidation she did in regards to DSM. Beside her, however, was a perfectly calm Bella Legacy in the form of Laura. "How are you not nervous?"

"I saw them perform Light 'Em Up at a music festival in Amsterdam a few months ago, I guess they did a remix to hide that fact. And this is almost exactly like their performance last year, if YouTube isn't lying to me." Laura told her. "With almost the exact same judges, so…" She shrugged. "What are your friends performing before we come on?"

"They're starting with Run the World."

"Beyoncé?" Laura asked. She nodded in approval. "Yeah, that could work, and make this DSM's to lose. Who doesn't like Beyoncé, at least a little, other than LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett?"

"Who?"

Laura laughed. "Exactly."

Emily, clearly struggling to keep calm in her nervousness, turned to Stacie once their cheering after Beca, Chloe, and Fat Amy's motivational speeches were over. They were getting ready to take the stage after DSM, and took one last glance over at the tent. "You think their huddle's as good as ours?"

Stacie followed her gaze, and then turned back to Emily. "Depends if Aubrey's more motivational speech than empty platitudes today."

Emily frowned, confused. "What does that even-"

They were interrupted with a symphonic "Aaahh" that had once been the end of a traditional Bellas huddle.

The group paused at the sound, and glanced over at the tent.

"Okay, that's just not fair." Beca observed, shaking her head at the fact that at least two dozen women could harmonize that easily.

"How do they all know what key to sing in?" Flo wondered aloud, because from her experience, it took a lot of effort to get that right. Beside her, both Cynthia Rose and Lilly only shrugged in response.

"Pitches, we've got this!" Fat Amy declared, cutting off their momentary distraction, and prompting another round of cheers.

Beca turned to Chloe. "Ready?"

Chloe smiled at her, nodding. "Let's do this."


	2. Chapter 2

They won.

It's almost anticlimactic, the fact that they won over Das Sound Machine: the road leading up to the World Championships had been fraught with so many obstacles, so many emotional highs and lows, and for the members of the Barden Bellas who were recent graduates, winning Worlds was almost merely the culmination of four years of hard work.

Almost.

There was shrieking, cheers and shouts of celebration, because the whole year had been a hell of a roller coaster of emotions, and they have earned this.

There were hugs and high fives, tears of joy.

When they made it back to their assigned tent/green room, where only a handful of the Bella alumnae remained, Aubrey only just noticed Laura's eyes widen before she was tackled from behind into a crushing hug, barely managing to keep her balance from the force of the impact. And then Chloe was screaming into her ear. "We won!"

Aubrey winced at the voluble exclamation, but nonetheless turned to give Chloe a proper hug. "We did!"

Chloe pulled back slightly, and exclaimed, "I graduated!"

"You did!" Aubrey laughed, before they were hugging again. Before either of them could pull away, however, they were joined by the rest of their Barden Bellas, once upon a time the group of freshmen they had recruited when Aubrey and Chloe were seniors.

Chloe pulled back, and beamed at Aubrey. "We were so awes, right?"

Aubrey laughed again. "Totally."

Chloe hugged her again, squeezing her tightly. "I can't believe it's finally over."

"Don't forget the party!" Fat Amy yelled, making everyone break the group hug to shout their agreement.

Beca, still technically the Bellas captain, turned to her friends. "Yeah, everyone, get changed, we still have to go to the after-party." And by some miracle, almost everyone turned to do as they were told.

Chloe turned back to Aubrey before she left. She pointed to her, then to Stacie, who still hovered nearby. "Don't disappear into a hotel room before we get to properly celebrate, are we clear?"

"Killjoy." Stacie muttered, at the same time Aubrey rolled her eyes.

Chloe gave them both a warning look, and then turned to grab her bag to change.

The minute Chloe turned away, Stacie and Aubrey turned to each other, closing the distance between them to greet each other with a kiss, Stacie's arms wrapping around Aubrey's waist while Aubrey's hands slid up to cup Stacie's jaw. The kiss was slow and easy, both aware of the fact that they were still out in public, their lips meeting in gentle passion while also promising what was to come, once the lack of privacy was no longer a concern.

Stacie pulled back slightly, and pouted when she noticed that Aubrey was already out of her performance clothes. "You changed already?"

"Yes." Aubrey replied, leaning close to take a playful bite of Stacie's lower lip, the bite easing into another kiss. "You should change."

"I think you just want to take these clothes off me."

Aubrey whimpered, because the answer was yes. "You have an after-party to attend."

"I'm sure I can bring a plus one." Stacie cajoled, bringing their bodies closer together, one hand resting on Aubrey's hip and running her free hand up and down Aubrey's back. "Show long enough for Chloe and then you and me can go and make use of the hotel bed. What do you say?"

Tempting.

And then someone cleared her throat nearby.

A soft whine of complaint escaped Aubrey's lips, and she turned guiltily to look towards Laura, who looked on with obvious amusement.

Damn it. Right. She turned back to look apologetically at Stacie. "I owe Laura a drink."

Stacie blinked at her, uncomprehendingly.

Aubrey stepped away from Stacie – as if increased distance would help calm her now insistent urge to take Stacie then and there – and gestured to the older blonde behind them. "Laura. This is Stacie, one of the current – but now not-so-current, having graduated recently – Bellas."

"You obviously found a way out of dating from other a cappella groups." Laura noted dryly, before turning to Stacie. "Hi. It's nice to meet you."

Aubrey turned back to Stacie, motioning towards Laura. "Laura was Bellas captain when Chloe and I were freshmen."

Stacie smiled at Laura, but she knew it was only about 80 percent sincere, because this woman was entirely too comfortable breaching Aubrey's personal space and had stood by like a creeper while she and Aubrey had kissed. And was clearly amused by it. "Hi." Stacie said shortly, before she turned back to Aubrey. "After-party, and then our own private after-party. What do you say?"

Another soft whine, as Aubrey bit her lip. "I want to, but..."

Stacie arched an eyebrow.

"I don't think I should."

What the actual fuck.

Stacie straightened, and leveled a glare at her girlfriend. "Maybe you're not hearing me correctly…"

Aubrey sighed, and took Stacie's hand to pull her in close as she gazed up at the girl. "You should go, celebrate with your friends. Your team. This is your moment." She smiled wryly. "Just steer clear of DSM."

"Seriously, how are you resisting my offer?"

"With a lot of difficulty and reluctance, I assure you." Aubrey told her. "But bringing one of the alumnae to the party's going to be a constant reminder to DSM that some of your members for the finale are in on a technicality, and you don't want them to lodge a formal complaint right away."

"Or at all." Laura piped in.

"Or at all." Aubrey echoed.

Stacie glanced briefly in Laura's direction, before turning back to Aubrey. "I'd rather hang out and celebrate with you."

"And you will," Aubrey nodded. "The Bellas have the bar at the hotel reserved, we're going to hang out there."

Stacie still looked unconvinced. "I don't know…"

Aubrey sighed, and glanced over at Laura. "Give me a minute?"

"Take your time." Laura answered. She gestured over her shoulder. "I'm going to find the girls and buy an overpriced shirt. Call me when you're done." She again smiled at Stacie. "I'll see you later, Stacie."

Stacie watched her go, and then turned to Aubrey. "You'd really choose to hang out with her than party with me?"

"I'd rather we both ditch this whole thing and celebrate privately," Aubrey answered. "But Beca put me in charge of the alumnae and you can't give DSM a reason to lodge a complaint."

Stacie grumbled, but sighed eventually. "Fine."

Aubrey smiled, and kissed Stacie's pouting lips. "I'll make it up to you."

"I can't imagine how."

"Mostly sex."

"But I'd like to let you try."

* * *

Later that night, the celebration was in full swing at the bar of the hotel where the Bellas were staying, the Bellas divided into their own smaller groups but occasionally mingling together to revel in their victory. And since the legal age to purchase alcohol in Denmark was 16, even Emily got to take part in the revelry.

"Hey," Chloe greeted Stacie, who was doing shots with Cynthia Rose while Lilly looked on, "have you seen Aubrey?"

Stacie turned away from the table, earning herself some groans because it had been a competition of sorts, and led Chloe to a relatively isolated section of the bar. "She's at a bar nearby with some of the other girls from your time."

"And they can't hang out in this bar?" Chloe asked.

Stacie glanced over her shoulder, where Beca and Emily shared a table with Jesse and Benji. She turned back to Chloe. "They take the No Trebles thing very seriously. And I guess they all unanimously hate Bumper, so they can't really be around Fat Amy."

Chloe cringed. "Damn, I forgot about that."

"If you want to catch up, they're just two or three doors down." Stacie told her. "Aubrey says the local beer is better."

"Why aren't you there?" Chloe questioned.

Stacie shrugged. "It's taking every bit of willpower not to just drag Aubrey into a room and break a bed."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Never needed to hear that."

"You asked."

* * *

Hours and many drinks later, and the staff had actually turned on the lights in the bar, the only people left in the room were half of the current group of Barden Bellas, as well as Jesse and Benji, who were giggling together on the floor.

Stacie turned to Beca, who was using Chloe as a leaning post. Apparently, winning Worlds put a hold on Chloe's moratorium against all things Beca. "Beca, your boy's drunk."

Beca squinted, and was about to make a counterargument when Jesse's giggles punctuated the air. She conceded that point. "Yeah, probably. He doesn't drink very well."

"You know, I always thought the Barden Bellas were all like Aubrey but some of those chicks were fierce." Fat Amy noted. And she would know, since she had done shooters with a few of those Bellas.

"Where _is_ Aubrey, anyway?" Cynthia Rose asked.

"Local bar." Stacie reported.

"But how can they drink if they don't know the language?" Beca asked, clearly intoxicated. She turned to Chloe. "That's a thing, right? Foreign beer?"

"Totes." Chloe reassured her, and pat the side of Beca's head to ease her back on her shoulder and gave Stacie a wide-eyed look to convey her bemusement regarding a drunk Beca. And then something caught her eye over Stacie's shoulder, and she brightened. "There you are! I was worried Laura had whisked you off to Sweden."

"Trust me, the temptation was there." Laura replied as she and Aubrey approached the table the Bellas occupied. She took an unoccupied chair at the table, nodding at the girls she had been introduced to earlier, before she glanced over at the two boys and then glanced questioningly at Aubrey.

"Beca and Emily's boyfriends." Aubrey explained, settling herself on Stacie's lap as Stacie wrapped an arm around her waist.

"The 'No Treblemakers' rule didn't hold?"

"There's no accounting for taste." Aubrey replied.

"Hey, wait a minute…" Fat Amy started.

Aubrey turned to Chloe, ignoring the token protest. "Chloe, Laura stayed out past her curfew and has to drive back in…" Aubrey checked her watch. "Three hours. Can she crash with you until sunrise?"

"Sure." Chloe nodded. She glanced at Laura. "I hope you don't mind being cuddled with."

"I like cuddling." Beca mentioned, perking up. She glanced at the new bodies, and frowned. "Shit, why are there two Aubreys?" Quietly, more to herself, she mused, "How drunk _am_ I?"

"I'm sure my husband would approve." Laura joked to Chloe. "As long as you don't mind that cuddling being taken out of context."

"That is officially more than I ever wanted to know about her sex life." Aubrey noted to Stacie, who grinned at her. "Have I properly congratulated you for winning Worlds?"

"As much as _I've_ congratulated _you_ , so not at all." Stacie replied.

"We should get on that."

They both immediately turned to their friends, leaving their seat. "So… we're going now."

"Aubrey, you promised me breakfast!" Laura protested.

Aubrey turned to Stacie. "We can be done in three hours, right?"

"Food break in three hours, absolutely." Stacie nodded.

"Aubrey Posen, if you and Stacie leave right now I'm telling Laura all your dark deeds since she graduated!" Chloe threatened.

Aubrey shot a glare at Chloe, and then turned to Laura. "Almost ran the Bellas to the ground, turned that around. Once had a six-figure annual salary, ditched that to run an outdoor retreat and charging companies so I can get paid to yell at people; attending Harvard Business School in the fall."

"What's a Southern girl like you going to be doing in New England?" Laura questioned.

The girls with them all pointed at Stacie. Stacie rolled her eyes.

"Stacie's attending MIT." Aubrey explained.

Laura nodded, and waved her off. "Go. Get laid. But I want Stacie to join us for breakfast."

Stacie recognized a dismissal when she heard it, and she pulled Aubrey with her out of the room.

"Aubrey Two, did they know what they were doing when they made two of you?" Beca asked Laura once Stacie and Aubrey had gone. She paused thoughtfully. "Or are you Aubrey One?"

"I'm Laura." Laura reminded, amused, having briefly been introduced to Beca earlier that evening.

"That can't be right." Beca shook her head. She turned to Chloe. "If Stacie keeps one, can we keep this other one?"

Laura turned back to Chloe, opting to ignore Beca. "Aubrey and Stacie. I mean, Aubrey dating a girl already exceeds expectations, but how did that even happen?"

"They just showed up one day together and in love and nobody was allowed to question it." Fat Amy told her.

"It's a long story." Chloe noted.

"Which is short code for 'girl, we have no idea'." Cynthia Rose added.

"Ding!" Beca suddenly slammed her palm on the table, as if on a game show, startling the women around her. They all looked at her questioningly. Proudly, Beca declared, "they had sex."


	3. Chapter 3

She had never figured herself to be someone who thrived on being in a relationship, but then again she never would have imagined someone like Aubrey existed in the world. Aubrey, who was like a collection of stereotype and clichés, and yet none of those things, all at the same time.

Aubrey, who was fiercely independent and steadfast and woke up at the break of dawn almost every day to start her days early, especially when she was at The Lodge, and yet still cuddled close to Stacie as they sat together in one of the lounge chairs by the hotel pool, the girl known for being a stickler for rules pointedly ignoring the sign that stated in two distinct languages that there should only be one person per chair.

Well, technically the pool was still closed, so…

Another thing about being in a relationship with Aubrey: for some reason Stacie never seemed to mind having to wake up and get up earlier than her preferred nine-thirty waking hour, mostly because Aubrey liked to ensure that Stacie making the effort to wake up with her was worth their while.

Like this morning.

They were both tired and sleepy, and if Aubrey didn't stop tracing idle patterns against her collarbone she was going to fall asleep right there on the lounge chair.

"Late night?" Chloe teased, as she approached her friends.

"And early morning." Stacie admitted. "We didn't really sleep. Victory sex is amazing."

Chloe slightly cringed, because as much fun as she had teasing Aubrey about sex, especially given Aubrey's strict conservative and prudish upbringing, she was realizing just how bitchy karma could be, now that Aubrey had on her side someone whose brain-to-mouth filter when it came to sex was almost non-existent.

Especially since when it came to her relationship with Stacie, Aubrey didn't seem to have much of a filter, either. "Sex with you is always amazing."

Stacie grinned. "That's really nice - and obvious - for you to say, baby. And Chloe's here."

Aubrey kept her eyes closed, nestled close to Stacie's side, and merely lifted a hand to wave an acknowledgement at her best friend.

Stacie glanced over at Chloe, who sat down on the chair beside her and Aubrey's. "Where's Laura?"

Since Laura had to drive back to Sweden, she had decided to get a proper night's rest instead of the original three hours wait she had originally planned, and would be heading out as soon as breakfast was over. Chloe motioned over her shoulder at the hotel lobby. "Asking the Concierge for good breakfast options near here."

"She's asking a hotel employee where to eat that isn't the hotel?" Stacie asked doubtfully.

Chloe shrugged.

"The hotel or concierge have deals with establishments to make recommendations to guests." Aubrey informed them, nuzzling into Stacie's neck. "God, you smell so good."

"Bet you regret making promises to your ex-captain to have breakfast with her." Stacie told her.

Aubrey made a soft grumble of protest, before finally acknowledging, "I'm not traveling to Scandinavia just to see Laura."

"But you were willing to take on every project in the Southeastern United States just so your old company would let you travel near Georgia to see Stacie?" Chloe asked pointedly, earning herself a raised middle finger from Stacie and finally making Aubrey open her eyes and turn to glare at her.

"I can still find someone to fill a best friend vacancy, you know." Aubrey told her.

Chloe scoffed. "Please. You can try, but you'll never get rid of me. Chaubrey is forever."

Aubrey sighed, smiling faintly at her, before turning back to nestle in her Stacie cocoon.

"You know, I never figured Aubrey to be a cuddler." Laura observed, approaching the trio of younger women.

"Only if you're awesome." Stacie said.

"And really hot." Chloe added. She smiled in mock apology at her former Barden Bellas captain. "Guess that rules you out."

"Says the girl who sleeps like an octopus around whoever's sharing her bed." Laura retorted. "Are you ready? There's a place open just a few blocks from here that sounds great."

"Awes." Chloe declared, immediately getting to her feet.

On the other chair, Aubrey was far more reluctant to leave, but somehow managed to extricate herself from Stacie, and got out of the chair, holding out her hand for Stacie to take as the other girl also stood up. As they left the hotel proper, she asked, "They're not going to serve some freakish signature Scandinavian dish for breakfast, right?"

Laura glanced at her and teased, "Define 'freakish'."

Stacie maneuvered so that she could wrap an arm around Aubrey's shoulders without breaking their handhold, holding her from behind, and kissed the side of the blonde's head. "You're so ridiculously white bread American, I'm in love with you."

"That's amazing, because I'm in love with you too!" Aubrey feigned surprise.

"Oh my God, we should totally date!" Stacie gasped in mock amazement.

Laura glanced at Chloe. "They're like this all the time?"

"Oh, this is better than the Public Display of Inappropriate Touching." Chloe assured her. "And I've had to share a room with them, so the trauma is real."

Laura turned back to the couple, and asked, "No offense, Stacie, but I was pretty sure Aubrey would end up being a Stepford wife to some young Republican upstart."

"There's still time." Stacie joked, earning a hard poke on the ribs from her girlfriend. "What? You don't know. I could still change my mind and register Republican."

"As if. You went off on me just a week ago for even suggesting requiring Psychological testing on anyone who applies for government employment." Aubrey reminded.

"Then how would you get elected into office?" Stacie teased, before yelping again at the second poke in the ribs in so many minutes. "Hey, stop: that is the last time."

Aubrey gave her a challenging look.

"Stop poking me if you're not going to follow through." Stacie warned.

Laura and Chloe exchanged weary, knowing looks.

"They're nauseating."

"Oh, they get worse." Chloe assured her, glancing back and subsequently rolling her eyes at the sight of the now-kissing duo, who have clearly done the kiss-and-walk often enough to keep in stride and not be bothered looking at where they were going. "Case in point." She whistled to catch their attention. "You're in public."

Stacie shot her a glare before turning back to Aubrey to kiss her more aggressively.

"Seriously, this is the same girl who threw up on the audience the first time she had a solo?" Laura questioned Chloe.

"Stacie fixed that."

Laura smirked. "So Aubrey doesn't suffer from performance anxiety anymore?"

"Screw you, Laura." Aubrey retorted.

"I fixed that too." Stacie informed them. "And she kind of has a point, Aubrey."

Aubrey gasped in affront.

Stacie mimicked her affronted face, before smiling broadly at her. "But I love you anyway!"

"I'm beginning to really regret putting the three of you together." Aubrey sulked.

"Aww, don't be like that, you know we love you." Chloe said, grabbing Aubrey's arm and pulling, forcing Stacie to release Aubrey and let go of her hand. She glanced at Laura, who pointed ahead to a sign that marked the restaurant the concierge had recommended to her, and hooking her arm with Aubrey's, led her to the place, leaving Stacie with Laura.

Stacie bit her lip guiltily, because she knew she hadn't exactly been the nicest of people towards Laura the previous evening, when Laura had shown up out of nowhere, practically glued to Aubrey's side, in time for the Bellas' performance at the finals of the World Championships of A cappella.

Laura glanced at the tall girl, and smiled. "Congratulations, by the way."

Stacie gave her a confused look.

"Graduation?" Laura reminded. "Physics and Engineering aren't exactly easy degrees to earn."

Stacie smiled wryly. "That's true even when you're a colossal nerd."

"Aubrey wouldn't stop talking about how smart you are." Laura added. "I'd say she's just smitten, but easy compliments don't exactly apply with Aubrey."

"Weird, considering she chose a job where she spouts empty platitudes like a pro." Stacie agreed.

They walked in silence for a little while, before Laura glanced at Stacie and noted, "She's happier."

Stacie glanced back at her.

"Aubrey. When she was a freshman she had this whole world on her shoulders, and now she's just…" Laura shrugged. "She's so much better now."

Stacie glanced over to where Chloe and Aubrey were looking at a display window, Chloe obviously trying to cajole her best friend into something, until Aubrey pointed at something and laughed. "What was she like?"

Laura followed her gaze, and smiled at the two girls she'd first met when they had been college freshmen. "Probably just like you can imagine. High strung. Eager to please. Sensitive and overly cautious." She rolled her eyes. "Oh my God with the eager to please. But also like a tiny baby foal figuring out the world."

"Yeah… I can't really argue against her being eager to please." Stacie admitted. "I kind of like that about her."

Laura looked at her with a measure of wary surprise. "Wow. You really have no filter, do you?"

"Why?" Stacie asked blankly.

Laura looked at her for a long moment, before acknowledging, "Why indeed." She glanced back to Aubrey and Chloe, now looking over the board of the restaurant's breakfast offerings, before turning back to Stacie, hesitating, and finally asked, "So what's the deal with Chloe?"

"Deal?" Stacie echoed.

Laura took a deep breath, and blew it out slowly. "Being a Bella's for life, and you think it's all just fun and games with your best friends, but before you know it you're taking care of these kids, these freshmen, two of them, by the way, don't know how to ask for help to save their lives. At least one's so obvious about it that you do it without needing to be asked. The other one?" Laura turned, and watched as Chloe tugged excitedly on Aubrey's arm. "The other one wears her heart on her sleeve with bright eyes and a bright smile, too busy making sure everyone's fine around her that even she doesn't realize she's not okay."

Stacie lowered her gaze, because, okay, maybe she had been on the opposite end of the spectrum from Laura's perspective, having been the freshman while Aubrey and Chloe were seniors, but what Laura was saying still held true. She glanced away briefly, and then turned back to the girl who Aubrey practically considered as an older sister, and admitted, "I can't give you details."

"But?"

"You don't fail Russian Lit three times for kicks." Stacie told her.

Laura pursed her lips. She considered the few things she _did_ know about Chloe's delayed graduation and extended stay in Barden University, what little Aubrey and even Chloe had been willing to tell her, and the way they both alluded to factors beyond Chloe's control. And then she remembered the way Chloe had sat at the near-empty bar with her teammate napping on her shoulder, and she can't believe she hadn't thought of it before. "Beca?"

Stacie only looked at her and blinked slowly, neither confirming nor denying, which was an answer in itself.

"And she has no idea?"

"Not everybody can just come up to the object of their affection and make them an offer they can't refuse."

Laura smirked. "And what offer was that?"

Stacie threw her a knowing smile back before walking ahead, grabbing Aubrey's arm as she passed, and pulled her into the restaurant.

Chloe looked confused for a moment, trying to figure out where Aubrey had disappeared to, before she noticed Laura coming up. She smiled brightly. "Hey, you. Did you and Stacie decide who's going to be President?"

Laura's confusion was evident all over face as she looked at Chloe. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Guess not." Chloe grinned, as they both walked into the restaurant. "I'm just saying, you better choose, or I'm going to launch a coup."

"I still don't know what you're talking about."

"People never do." Chloe said easily.


	4. Chapter 4

"What even is that?" Chloe asked, peering into the bowl that came with their individual plates of food. The restaurant the hotel concierge had directed them to was apparently a local favorite, and the place was fairly busy when their group arrived, despite the early hour. Its status as a favorite among locals seemed to have necessitated the provision of a local delicacy that people regularly took with their meals.

Laura shrugged, ignoring the bowl altogether. "Pickled something, probably. You should try it."

Chloe nudged the bowl away from her, forcing her expression to stay neutral to avoid offending the proprietor of the restaurant they were in. "No, thank you."

Seated across Chloe, Stacie took the bowl when Chloe pushed it away, and glanced at Aubrey beside her. "If I try this, will you still love me?"

"You'd still be hot, so yes." Aubrey deadpanned, digging into her own breakfast. "I might not kiss you within the next few hours, but I'll still love you."

Stacie pouted, considering the ramifications of that threat.

Laura, who had looked up at the exchange, narrowed her eyes at the couple. "Why doesn't anyone know how your relationship started?"

"Because it's nobody's business." Aubrey answered simply, after exchanging a quick glance with Stacie. They really needed to sort that out if people were going to keep asking them that question.

"And I don't kiss and tell." Stacie added.

Aubrey and Chloe both paused, before they cast looks of skepticism at Stacie.

"About this." Stacie hastily finished her statement. "I don't kiss and tell about _this_." She smiled warmly at Aubrey. "I love you."

Aubrey grinned back at her.

"I'm just saying it'll be nice to know if, you know," Chloe said pointedly, "I have to give a speech, or something."

"Speech?" Aubrey and Stacie asked blankly in unison.

"Or something." Chloe added quickly, knowing how touchy both women tended to be when anyone insinuated anything about their relationship beyond its current state. Luckily, both women kept their confused blank expressions.

Across from them, Laura gazed at the members of the exchange thoughtfully. She had always had a soft spot for Aubrey, seeing within the younger woman a version of herself if her father had been stricter, or if she'd had parents who were far less understanding. Laura had watched the freshman version of Aubrey Posen continue her every day function of attending classes and rehearsals while burning a fever, throw term papers into trash cans after receiving anything less than the 100 she wanted, and force a smile through anything the world threw at her. Laura had seen, from very early on, a girl on the brink of self-destructing at any moment, and had made it a point to take Aubrey under her wing, something that had worked wonders in getting Aubrey to admit to weaknesses. Of course, sometimes Laura had overstepped, nearly forcing Aubrey far earlier than she'd been ready to admit her attraction to women, but Laura and her friends had all known what they were doing when they allowed the freshman into their inner circle. They could all recognize an overachiever at the brink of imploding, and the Bellas were supposed to be a family, a safe haven for its sisterhood. Aubrey back then had been eager to please, desperate to be well-liked and deathly afraid of saying the wrong thing.

 _This_ Aubrey, however, was strikingly dissimilar to that freshman. Laura had expected Aubrey to grow up and really mature, but the self-confidence, the wry humor, the unabashed adoration for the girl she was in love with? Laura never saw this woman coming.

In the same way, she supposed, she hadn't expected Chloe to become so dependent on her identity as a Barden Bella as to deliberately sabotage her academic career just to remain one. Chloe had always been so carefree and independent, so comfortable in her own skin, that most of the older Bellas – Laura included – had assigned the redhead to the role of Aubrey's better half. Chloe, for all her recklessness and rampant absenteeism on days the Bellas held a meeting that didn't include singing or set rehearsals, was still immensely talented and a beacon of light on the most miserable of days. Chloe was a star who wasn't even aware how brightly she could shine. She was the better singer, and was more sociable, charming and friendly, not to mention far more level-headed than her best friend, but Chloe had tended to revert to the background when she was around Aubrey. It wasn't even anything Aubrey really did, but Chloe just naturally deferred to the blonde.

Which explained what Chloe had described their Lost Years, the period immediately after Aubrey had graduated, because after four years of being nearly inseparable, it had probably been a numbing shock to realize they were no longer forced to play off each other's strengths and weaknesses. Late that night (or earlier that morning), Chloe had been especially candid about how she and Aubrey had lost touch for a while, and it had been bad enough to have kept Aubrey from intervening following the events at the Kennedy Center, short of advising them to issue an apology. And why Chloe hadn't adhered strictly to the advice Aubrey had given.

It was stuff like this – like Aubrey throwing up on the audience in 2011 – that made Laura feel bad that she wasn't closer to the Bellas in terms of location because her mother and grandmother were adamant about the importance of the Barden Bellas as a sisterhood, that it was something that lasted beyond graduation, beyond the halls of Barden University. It was why she had jumped at the chance to catch up with them.

And, yes, she missed performing. That was just a given.

Laura turned to Chloe. "The new girl. Katherine Junk's daughter? She's the one who wrote last night's finale, right?"

Chloe nodded.

"She knows she can't rely on just original songs, right? Some aca-purists don't like that."

Across from them, Stacie choked on her food, not expecting the aca-prefix from the older girl; while Chloe finished chewing and sighed in response. "I'll tell her, but when she gets a song in her head it's the only thing that lives there."

"Is that why she screwed up during your underground riff-offs?" Aubrey asked, before turning to Stacie and grumbled, "Seriously, why are you attending mysterious gatherings in private properties in the middle of nowhere?"

"Wait, you know about the riff-offs?" Chloe queried, hopefully avoiding having to answer the very good question of why a group of girls traveled to a mysterious location on their own.

"I tell her everything." Stacie reported.

"And you didn't tear off Emily's head when we got to The Lodge?" Chloe pressed.

"It wouldn't have helped to lose a member in the middle of preparations for Worlds." Aubrey replied. "You were on-edge enough without that."

Stacie turned to Aubrey, lowering her voice, "You were so hot that day."

Aubrey grinned at her, lifting an eyebrow. "The khakis?"

"And the yelling." Stacie admitted. She shifted in her seat to lean closer to Aubrey until a scant few inches kept their lips apart. "Take-charge Aubrey makes me-"

"Oh my God." Both Chloe and Laura cut in, gaping at the two of them and forcing the couple to separate.

"You're in public!" Laura reminded.

"Told you." Chloe said dryly. She took a sip from her coffee, and nearly choked. "That's strong."

Laura cast her a concerned look, but was appeased to see Chloe was making a quick recovery. "Hold on. You all graduated, right?"

"Yeah." Chloe nodded, coughing to clear her throat from the unfamiliar strength of the coffee she'd drunk. "Why?"

Aubrey shot Chloe a look of fond exasperation, and turned to Laura to address the concern she hadn't yet spoken. "Jessica's staying for a year to take a few extra classes. She can't compete, but she said she'll try and check in on the Bellas when she can."

Chloe frowned at Aubrey. "When did Jessica tell you all of that?"

Laura furrowed her brow. "Which one is Jessica?"

"Blond. Ye high," Aubrey indicated with her hand the approximate height of her former Bella teammate. "Answers to the name 'Jessica'."

"She does breakdowns." Stacie supplied.

"And her a cappella group in high school were national champions." Aubrey added.

Stacie arched an eyebrow at Aubrey.

"You know I actually read your application forms." Aubrey told her.

Stacie smirked. "And here I thought I got in on my good looks."

"Played a factor." Aubrey allowed.

Laura turned to Chloe in disbelief that every conversation thread seemed to result in the same thing. "It's insane. It's _amazing_ , but also insane."

"It's both disturbing and the most adorable thing ever." Chloe conceded. She pulled her phone out, feeling it vibrate in her pocket, and lifted an eyebrow at what she read on the screen. "Beca's asking where we are."

"We?" Laura repeated skeptically. Everyone knew Stacie was rooming in with Aubrey, and it was a miracle they left their hotel room at all. Laura was supposed to have left a few hours earlier; but she doubted Beca would care where _she_ was.

"Please don't." Aubrey interrupted, earning a confused look from Chloe. "I'm paying for breakfast and I'm not going to pay for everyone to eat."

Chloe smiled at her. "There was a cash prize."

"Somehow I don't think you'll ever be paying me back, Chloe." Aubrey commented.

Chloe smiled sheepishly, acknowledging the mild accusation as she typed a response to Beca. "We kind of drained the Bella accounts the past year."

"Legacy has a hell of a lot of things to do next year," Stacie mused.

"We call Emily Junk 'Legacy'." Chloe explained to Laura before she could ask. She shrugged. "At least she won't be starting from the bottom the way Bree and I had to."

"You were seniors." Stacie reminded.

"And you had each other." Laura added.

Chloe turned to Aubrey, and they smiled at each other. Yes, things _had_ been easier when she could count on Aubrey. If for no other reason than Aubrey was not unwilling to bully people into doing what Chloe wanted. And was unapologetic about making Chloe do what needed to be done.

Laura looked at Aubrey, a thought suddenly occurring to her. "You 'almost ran the Bellas to the ground'?"

"I guess she's not going to be President of your fan club anymore." Chloe commented to Aubrey, noting the tone in Laura's voice.

Stacie turned to Chloe. "Why can't I be President?"

"Dating the president of your fan club is tacky." Laura answered.

"I guess that leaves me." Chloe deduced. She thought about it, and nodded her approval of that outcome.

"What just happened?" Aubrey questioned.

"I'm officially your biggest fan." Chloe told her.

Aubrey glanced at Stacie and Laura questioningly. "Why?"

"Because I'm the President now." Chloe grinned at her.

Aubrey looked at her with profound confusion, but ultimately shook her head, not wanting to get into that at the moment. She faced Laura to answer her previous question. "It was nothing."

"It's a long story." Chloe added.

"She wanted to stick to the boring set she screwed up at the 2011 finals." Stacie explained.

Laura lifted an eyebrow, surprised at the younger woman's candor. "I like you."

Stacie beamed.

Laura looked at Aubrey meaningfully, pointing at Stacie with her butter knife. "I want to see her again." The implication was clear: Aubrey was not allowed to screw up her relationship with Stacie to the point that the current set of Bellas could not reunite in its entirety.

"Yes, ma'am." Aubrey drawled.

The rest of their meal passed without further incident, conversation drifting more towards catching up on Laura's life and those of her fellow Bellas who had graduated with her, and how they had all been watching a live feed of the Bellas' performance at the Kennedy Center that had started the journey towards Worlds in Copenhagen.

Eventually Laura had to head back to Sweden, and after Stacie begged off to go look for her fellow Bellas in the hotel's dining area, Aubrey, Chloe and Laura stood waiting in front for the valet to bring her car around.

Laura regarded Chloe, "So we all know Aubrey's moving to Boston to live in delicious sin with her girlfriend. What about you?"

Chloe shook her head. "No graduate school for me, thank you."

"After seven years in college, I would hope so." Aubrey noted, earning herself an eye roll from Chloe.

Laura shot a glare at her.

"Aubrey offered me a job at her retreat." Chloe told Laura, interrupting any possible exchange that could ensue. She turned to Aubrey pointedly. "But was that before, or _after_ you decided you were going to shack up with Stacie in Boston?"

"Don't say shack up." Aubrey requested.

"Start a love nest?" Chloe joked.

"Stop talking."

Chloe grinned.

"Well, you've gotten this far." Laura started. "Graduation and Worlds in a few short months? High five."

Chloe happily slapped Laura's raised palm with her own. "I'll just really miss performing, you know? I hate that this was our last chance to perform as part of the Bellas."

Aubrey and Laura shared a significant glance, because Laura had taught Aubrey well and they were on the same wavelength on a lot of things and understood things from the same perspective.

Chloe narrowed her eyes, and pointed at the two of them. "What was that?"

"Oh look, my car is here." Laura hugged Aubrey. "It was good to see you, Aubrey. And I'm thrilled to see you haven't imploded. And Stacie's awesome."

"It was good to see you too, Laura." Aubrey said dryly.

Laura released Aubrey, and hugged Chloe. "I'm so proud of you, Chloe, and everything you've done with the Bellas."

Aubrey frowned, perturbed.

Laura rolled her eyes at her. "Yes, Aubrey, I'm proud of you, too."

Aubrey's frown faded into a bright smile, pleased.

Laura walked to her car. "Bree, tell her what's up."

Aubrey waved at her, and she and Chloe watched as Laura drove away.

Chloe turned to Aubrey, curious as to what Laura and Aubrey had found so concerning about what she'd said. "Okay, she's gone. What was that?"

Aubrey steered her back into the hotel, so they could meet up with the rest of the Bellas. "You mentioned no longer being able to perform as part of the Barden Bellas."

"Yeah, 'cause I graduated; staying a Bella was kind of the whole point of not graduating." Chloe reminded.

Aubrey had to smile. "Have you already forgotten why we billeted a whole floor for your performance at Worlds?"

Chloe looked confused.

"Rule number five." Aubrey reminded. "The Barden Bellas compete at Worlds as the USA representatives, not just from Barden."

"Yeah, okay, but why…"

"Worlds happens every four years." Aubrey continued. "We're gonna have to come back and defend the championship with whoever's going to be in the collegiate group of Bellas then."

"Oh." Chloe breathed, only now realizing that particular factor in having won the World Championships of A Cappella the night before.

Aubrey laughed softly at the expression on Chloe's face, and hooked their arms together as they walked together towards the dining area. "And she's right, you know. What you've done, how far you've come this past year has been amazing. And I'm really proud of what you did here."

Chloe smiled. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Chloe leaned against Aubrey's shoulder as they walked. "So we're doing this all over again in four years?"

"Yup. Unless you want to give DSM the opportunity to win it back, and—"

Chloe lifted her head, her face taking on a steely resolve as she gave Aubrey a sharp look. "From my cold, dead hands."


End file.
